do you work out?

  On 7/7/2013 at 1:01 AM, SR4 said:

they look ridiculous, but ive been hearing good things about those foot slipper type running "shoes"

 

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Seeya-Mens.htm?activity=running

 

they look absolutely ridiculous, but Im fine with that if they yield good results.....also getting a bit of a crooked pinky toe from my current running shoes...maybe its a good thing to have each toe in an appropriate slot.

yes those guys, unfortunately they´re really expensive over here (~140$) which is keeping me from trying them out.. I´m running in New Balance Minimus and they´re great. Incredibly comfortable, really light-weighted and they have lots of toe-room. My knees/hips used to hurt even after a 5k in my old shoes, but with those I´m doing just fine. I only have the normal soreness after a run..

The shoes themselves won´t fix you, in my opinion they just make you pay more attention towards your running form etc. For example landing on your mid/forefoot or keeping your back straight..

Also regarding the science, there was one study so far, which has found that changing to Fivefingers can be bad for your feet, even if you stick to Vibrams transition plan. Vibram is also being sued atm, because they claim that wearing their shoes will be beneficial for your feet (but they have nothing to back that up...)

I got a basic pair of the weird toe sandles. Something by vibram. Anyway, I got them half off, as they were in the clearance bin a MEC. 1 size too big for me, but I just strap them tight.

After 3 weeks of running with them, I can say they have pros and cons. They put a lot of the stress on your calves, which is good in some ways because you strengthen your whole leg more, but bad in other ways, because if you're not used to it you have to go through a couple weeks of crazy muscle pain in your calves.

They force you to run with a forefoot strike, which is less efficient, but gentler on your feet and knees. I have a collapsed arch, and it seems to work as well for me as orthotics. That said, I'm not a doctor, and I've been doing this for only 3 weeks, so we'll see what the long term consequences are of not using orthotics.

They are also rougher on the soles of your feet. I get blisters more. Hoping that my skin will toughen up.

I've been wanting to get some Vibrams for a while. This thread has reinforced that intention.

Said yes to a half marathon in October at the weekend when tipsy. Looks like I've got some training ahead. I presume we'll be doing it for a charity?

  On 7/8/2013 at 9:43 PM, spratters said:

Said yes to a half marathon in October at the weekend when tipsy. Looks like I've got some training ahead. I presume we'll be doing it for a charity?

Probably. This reminds me of the time I enlisted in the Marines when tripping on mushrooms.

I got some VIbram FiveFingers, except mine are custom made with the vibrating toes mod (can be selected during checkout). So every toe has a strong ass vibrator on it connected to a lithium battery pack that lasts for 40 hours before needing recharge. So basically you walk around feeling the beautiful ground and experiencing ancient memories of the bond between feet and Earth, but then you jack up the toe vibrators and the circulation and stimulation becomes so intense, that it's like you're a super caveman. Due to such vicious vibe-induced-circulation and walking daily with my Vibram Vibez Edition, my toes have never been so beautiful, though. One special feature: if you pump up the vibe to 11, the vibrations are so hard, that your feet feel like they're levitating off the ground, so you eventually start to glide and people are like WHOA. (obviously the above is bullshit, but the last part made me realize that vibrating shoes might serve a purpose)

Recently I've started working out with me mum (this, is real), who is in her mid 60's. Obviously we're not doing the same hardcore calisthenics shit, but I've been working out with her near-daily, to get her body back into action. I'm really excited about this, cuz it's sad to see a parent get old, but it's beautiful to see them get healthy. She's already experiencing results (like better posture). She used to be able to beat me at arm wrestling until 7th grade, so I know her potential for mum muscles. After 6 months, I'm hoping she gets all Bruce Lee and opens the eyes of her aging friends-- health, is wealth. ...As her friends get all arch-backed, she will stand taller and inflate her lats and shit. I saw this TV segment of some Japanese man who started gymnastics in his mid 60's or something, and now he teaches old people how to move their bodies and get fit. Ultimately, my goal with me mum training is to get her super agile/flexible, massive strength, then maybe start some fight training (she actually took tae kwon do for like 8 years back in the day and used to help me train).

But the way I see it, we're all like 90 year olds, who have the potential to be young. Much like disease and ill health, youth is a steady process, which takes much time and continued effort. If any of you are well into working out and have parents who are slowly falling apart or whatever, I highly recommend working out with them. Great bonding experience, as well as being the least one could do, for giving life and all that goodness. One reason people get old: not moving their body.

Truth. My family dog is 15 years old, but can still run around like a happy camper because she goes on epic walks every day. Proof that the fountain of youth is exercise.

I'm going tonight. Looking forward ot it! I'm hoping to meet a guy like this there.

Hope hope!

Up to about 145lbs on the deadlifts

88 lbs on the squats, benchpress and pendlay rows

It's getting taxing always doing cardio on the between days, but I'mma keep going on this motherfucker.

still running 5ks 3 days a week with hour-90 min of tennis on the off days. Im assuming due to my drinking, I have gained about 5-7 lbs. in the last month. Woe is me. But ill be finally working full time tomorrow, which is more than enough incentive to lay off the drink for the rest of the summer.

So I agreed to run 8k with a friend in 2 weeks. I've only ever run around 4k. I ran 5k once yesterday.

How should I train in the coming 2 weeks so as not to embarrass myself?

anyone done/doing a juice diet? i'm thinking about replacing breakfast and lunch with homemade vegetable and fruit juices, at least 5 days a week (and also cutting down on the booze) to shift two stone. Been bad over the last couple of months after I badly sprained my ankle and became a lazy bastard, I've put on over a stone and enough is enough.

  On 7/22/2013 at 1:03 AM, Root5 said:

So I agreed to run 8k with a friend in 2 weeks. I've only ever run around 4k. I ran 5k once yesterday.

 

How should I train in the coming 2 weeks so as not to embarrass myself?

Have enough money on you for a taxi. Make sure it's not change, as that's annoying on the side of your leg when you're jogging.

The half marathon is coming up in just over a month. Bank holiday weekend, rainy Saturday morning, thought I'd try and run a little bit outside. Up to now it's been gym only so I didn't think I could get to even 15k on the roads. Ended up doing 20.77k. Well happy. Need to pick up the pace a bit but I basically did a half marathon. I would have gone further to get the exact amount but I was back near home and it was pissing down. Here it is:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/274472235

Anyway, any long distance runners, how do you avoid stomach pains. I got them at the gym before but just went to the toilet each time. Out running it's not possible so I had to slow to a crawl. Once I got home I had quite intense stomach pains/ desperate toilet needs feeling but couldn't go. The uncomfortable feelings went on for about 3-4 hours. Anyone have any routines?

what do you eat/drink before a run? I usually just get hungry or have to pee.

finished my first official half marathon today in Berlin with 1:43. it wasn't too hard except for the last 5k when I noticed a huge blister on my small left toe and I started to get hungry after running past a carnival with BBQ and cotton candy...

I did 5:30min/km for the first 10k and then slowly started to increase my speed, which was a pretty good tactic I suppose..

I'm doing bar workouts and weights, loving it. Getting all kinds of gains and silverback action.

My neck is getting huge.

I went through a brief running period. I wasn't particularly good at it but think I may have expected too much from myself (It's my default mode to jump into something head first and angrily wonder why I'm worn out). I'm a smoker and getting my breathing right was difficult. I was doing 4.5k in 23 minutes but I have no idea if that's good or not.

I walk an awful lot, run around like a blue-arsed fly at work, which also involves heavy lifting, and I consider myself pretty fit but I'd like to have some muscle on me -especially on my upper arms and legs- as I'm a bit like a string bean with boobs and a soft middle, but have no idea where to start. Plus my core strength is pathetic.

Any swimmers out there?

Start by doing simple push-ups, use something for incline and decline variations. Get a kettlebell and a bar, both great and funny workout tools! Whatever you do, take it slow so you can feel that you are actually hitting the muscles and getting a full-range motion instead of 20 reps in 30 seconds...

  On 8/26/2013 at 9:22 AM, Sprillian said:

I went through a brief running period. I wasn't particularly good at it but think I may have expected too much from myself (It's my default mode to jump into something head first and angrily wonder why I'm worn out). I'm a smoker and getting my breathing right was difficult. I was doing 4.5k in 23 minutes but I have no idea if that's good or not.

 

I walk an awful lot, run around like a blue-arsed fly at work, which also involves heavy lifting, and I consider myself pretty fit but I'd like to have some muscle on me -especially on my upper arms and legs- as I'm a bit like a string bean with boobs and a soft middle, but have no idea where to start. Plus my core strength is pathetic.

 

Any swimmers out there?

yoga. all day errday.

Eat all the time, shit all the time. Get big and lean.

My arms aren't strong enough to hold me up. I have never successfully used monkey bars, ever. I can't do a single push up. But I manage to lift totes weighing in at about 26kilos at work. How, I have no idea.

Do standing push-ups. Stand up straight and keep your core as tight as you can while you lean against the wall or a bench and put all your weight on your arms/chest area. Try to keep a straight line from your feet through your body. If you do it right you should feel it hitting your chest and biceps. You can vary with angle and armwidth to hit different parts of the muscle groups. Just do normal sets like you would with regular push-ups. When you can do enough of these you move on to regular ones :)

Thanks, I'll get to it!

  On 8/26/2013 at 9:33 AM, Sprillian said:

My arms aren't strong enough to hold me up. I have never successfully used monkey bars, ever. I can't do a single push up. But I manage to lift totes weighing in at about 26kilos at work. How, I have no idea.

If you can lift 26kgs, but not do a push-up it probably means that you need more work on your chest and core. Your arms are strong enough, but your body isnt.

That's if you are lifting with your arms and not your back/legs.